


Be More Chill, Hux

by badwrongprincess



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Humor, Inspired by Be More Chill, M/M, Potentially OOC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22724461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwrongprincess/pseuds/badwrongprincess
Summary: Armitage Hux had been harboring a crush on Finn for a while now. But he hasn't made much progress, so he goes out and purchases something called a SQUIP. It supposed to help him win Finn's heart but he begins to wonder if something like that was really worth it in the end.
Relationships: Finn/Armitage Hux
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armitage Hux had been harboring a crush on Finn for a while now. But he hasn't made much progress, so he goes out and purchases something called a SQUIP. It supposed to help him win Finn's heart but he begins to wonder if something like that was really worth it in the end.

Hux knew that he wasn’t well-liked, not by his father, not by the other students at his school, not really by anyone. He didn’t mind; he had more important things to worry about than being liked in his home town. He had ambitions, plans that were going to take him to great places, and he couldn’t waste time getting distracted, trying to get others to like him.

Well, there was one persistent distraction that he couldn’t shake, no matter hard he tried. The distraction was named Finn, one of his underclassmen and Hux was at a complete loss as to what to do. Finn wasn’t someone wildly popular, but he was personable and friendly. People liked him well enough, Hux always saw him with some other students, though to Hux’s untrained eye he never looked super involved in any of the groups. 

The only time Hux really saw him light up was when he spent time with a girl named Rey and her girlfriend Rose. He had an infectious smile and an energetic body, and the three of them always looked like they were having fun.

Hux wanted to make Finn smile and more. Irrational, he knew, but something he wanted none the less. So, as he did with many aspects of his life, Hux set out with a plan to achieve his goal. 

Of course, he didn’t actually know how to go about it. Any conversations he tried to start up with Finn had always been short. Other students would come in and interrupt him, and Hux would end up leaving because he had a very low tolerance for idiots. Or Rey or Rose would end up pulling Finn away off to something they had to do together. 

It was frustrating. 

It was clear, on some level, that he would have to have to get Rey and Rose to like him. Or tolerate him at the very least. Then when they dragged Finn away, perhaps they could take him along too. Or simply let him follow after.

He looked up books on how to be more friendly and other techniques that could make things easier on him. Most of those books were about an adult working life, but Hux figured getting a head start wouldn’t be a bad idea. Then one day, he overheard a student telling another about something called a SQUIP. This strange little pill apparently could help someone navigate social interactions and increase their social standing. The latter part of the explanation didn’t interest him, but having a pill to navigate social interactions would definitely help him reach his current goal.

Hux rudely interrupted the pair’s conversation and demanded to know where exactly he could find a pill like that. It was a sketchy place, in the middle of downtown behind a local game shop. It cost a ridiculous amount of money, but Hux was sure his father wouldn’t miss a few hundred dollars. So that afternoon he went and found the game shop.

In the back alley of the game shop stood a young woman who stood a few good inches taller than him. She had golden blonde hair cut short and cold blue eyes. She wore a simple hoodie sweater and a pair of jeans. She looked older than him, but Hux couldn’t say for sure whether or not if she went to his school. She was looking down at her phone, smoking a cigarette, and had a duffle bag on the ground next to her.

“I assume you’re the one who I’m supposed to buy this...SQUIP from?”

The woman finally looked in his direction; she looked him over, taking in his neatly kept appearance. She probably thought he looked really out of place. She dropped her cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out, folded her arms, and she must have stood up straight because Hux thought she looked even taller.

“Depends who’s asking.”

He cleared his throat and pulled out the money clip he had gathered for this transaction. “A customer.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and held out her hand. He handed over the money clip, and he watched the woman count the money. Satisfied, she smirked and crouched down to dig into her duffle bag. She pulled out a small box and handed it to him.

“You drink mountain dew to activate it,” she said, “the regular kind.”

He pulled a face of disgust but took the box all the same. He had come this far, a disgusting beverage wouldn’t deter him now. He gave a final nod to the woman and headed off. He stopped by a store to buy the mountain dew and wrinkled his nose.

_‘This had better work...’_ he thought to himself as he made his way home.

Once inside, he went up into his room and closed the door. He was sure he wouldn’t be bothered by anyone until dinner anyhow. He opened the box and saw about...twenty or so grey oblong pills. There weren’t any other instructions in the box and Hux wondered if he needed to take multiple pills at once, or had to take them over a long time. He breathed out a sigh of frustration, both at himself for not asking more questions and at the women for not explaining everything properly, but ultimately decided to approach this simply.

He’ll take one right now, see how he felt after dinner, and go from there. He took the pill and forced down the mountain dew and waited. Hux checked his watch, and it had been about an hour, he didn’t feel any different and didn’t notice anything. He pressed his lips together and reminded himself to wait until after dinner and went about his normal afternoon activities.

After dinner, Hux showered and got ready for bed. He picked up the box and frowned. Even after all of that time, nothing happened. He had been scammed? It made sense, honestly, a pill that could help one navigate social interactions? How could he have thought---

A sharp pain shot through Hux’s head. It felt like his head was being split open. Hux groaned and fell back on his bed. The pain traveled throughout his entire body, his limbs started shaking. Hux thought he was going to die. But then the pain stopped all at once. Hux’s vision was blurry as he sat up. He rubbed at his forehead and blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his vision. 

**_Sync’s now complete, welcome, Armitage Hux, to your super quantum unit Intel processor, specific unit K-Y-L-0-R-3-N._ **

“Who...” he looked around his room and saw a man, just a bit taller than him with long black hair. The man simply wore a black t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He leaned against Hux’s desk with his arms folded. “Who are you?”

**_I just told you, I’m your SQUIP, specific---_ **

“I heard you,” he snapped. It felt weird, seeing the man speak but really only hearing him inside of his head. “I mean...why do you look like that?”

**_You don’t have to speak out loud to me. You can just think it. If someone saw you talking out loud to no one, they’d think you’re crazy._ **

_‘Answer me then.’_ Hux demanded and folded his arms.

The man before him shrugged. **_This is just a kind of default form. But I can look like anything, really. A favorite movie, book, or game character, a celebrity you may have a thing for or..._ ** The man’s form shifted and changed until a version of Finn stood in front of Hux. **_A high school crush._ **

Hux glared at him and frowned. A kind of wave of embarrassment washed over him. _‘Your regular form is fine, thank you.’ _

The SQUIP shrugged and went back to its default setting with a sly smirk on its face. **_I will say that you have good taste._ **

_‘Enough!’_

**_You brought me so that I could help you out and get this Finn guy to like you, as well as his two little friends, and from just a few seconds of looking around your brain, the first order of business is to have you loosen up._ **

Hux sat back down on his bed and folded his arms. This SQUIP thing was going to be an annoyance, isn’t it?

**_If you think I’m so annoying, maybe I’ll just vanish until you need me, yeah?_ **

With that, the form in front of him disappeared. Hux waited for a moment, but nothing happened. He scoffed, who knew an Intel processor could be so touchy. It had been getting late, so Hux simply went to bed. He’d talk to the temperamental computer in the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tags will be updated as i continue based on my discretion but if you have any suggestions let me know, i miss things. this may come off as ooc and the fic is un-beta'ed outside of using grammarly.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Hux woke up and went about his usual routine, it was the weekend, but he didn’t plan on staying inside all day. A part of him wondered if the event of the previous night had been a sort of weird elaborate dream, but looking at the box sitting on his desk convinced him otherwise.

Hux headed out that day, telling the maids not to expect him back until later and to put his dinner in the refrigerator, and then he left. 

_‘Hello, SQUIP...are, you still there?’_ There was silence for a while and Hux frowned. _‘If you’re going to be so temperamental maybe I should get a new SQUIP.’_

**_It doesn’t work like that, you don’t even know how to turn me off._ **

He glanced over to his left, and there, the SQUIP was, walking alongside him. It had its hands in its pockets, which Hux found odd. Why did it mimic human mannerisms in the first place?

_**You can just ask me, you know? I can hear all of your thoughts anyway.** _

Hux found that distressing even though it made sense. The computer was inside of his brain, after all.

_**I “mimic” human mannerisms simply because people are more receptive to units if we look and behave as you do. It comes off more like I’m your friend helping you out instead of a computer living in your head.** _

_ ‘I see.’ _

**_On that note, instead of calling me SQUIP, you should call me Kylo Ren._ **

_ ‘Kylo Ren?' _

**_It is my name after all._ **

Hux shook his head. _‘Whatever, let’s stay focused on our task. How are you going to help me?’_

The SQUIP, or rather Kylo, looked like it was thinking over his question. Well, first, as I told you last night, we have to get that stick out of your ass.

Hux turned and glared at it, but of course, nothing was there, and it looked like he had turned to glare at an old couple who had been passing by. The old couple gave him a worried look before hurrying along their way. Hux sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_**I know I look real, but you can’t react like that out in public, remember, you don’t want people to think you’re crazy.** _

The SQUIP had ended up on the other side of Hux, and it looked like it was leaning back against the wall of a building. Hux composed himself and started walking again. 

_**See, even how you walk.**_ It shook its head. _**Loosen up, let your shoulders drop, relax your muscles, walk like you’ve got nowhere to go.**_

Hux didn’t think that his shoulders were particularly high, but he tried to drop them all the same; there was no point in arguing with Kylo, this is why he had brought it after all. Hux tried to relax like he had been told to, but it all felt unnatural. Hux was sure he looked like an idiot.

_**Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.**_ Kylo said as they continued along. _**Now, I’ve been through all of your memories and you really don’t know much about this Finn guy. That’ll make it challenging to tailor certain changes to what he’d like, but being...more relaxed...more chill as it were, will help with bringing you two closer.**_

At some point during his walk, Hux returned to his normal walking posture, much to Kylo’s displeasure. It complained and even threatened to take drastic measures if he didn’t listen but eventually gave up. Hux wondered what ‘drastic measures’ meant, but the SQUIP didn’t answer that particular thought, so Hux dropped it for now.

_**Don’t worry, we’ll work on that.** _

Hux ignored him and turned the corner, finally ended up at the mall. There had been a few things he had wanted to buy, and potentially---

_**Ah, so your guy is supposed to be around here then.** _

Hux sighed to himself. _‘He might be here,’_ he thought and glanced around as he entered the mall before he headed toward the escalator. _‘There’s no guarantee, and I do have my own business here as well.’_

_**Uh-huh, whatever you say, Armie.** _

_‘Don’t call me that!’_ He huffed and bumped into someone. Of course that someone happened to be Rose Tico. Hux just nearly held in a groan as he stepped back. “Er...excuse me.”

The shorter girl wrinkled her nose at him and looked him up and down. “Right,” was all she said before walking off. Hux got the feeling that she didn’t like him.

_**Follow her.** _

_ ‘What!?’ _

_**Follow her, but don’t let her know you’re following her. Just act like you’re going in the same direction.** _

_‘Why?’_ He asked as he followed after her.

_**She’s one of Finn’s friends, right? Well, getting her to like you will get you closer to him. Getting other people to like you will make you seem nicer to your object of affection.** _

Hux mulled over that thought; it made sense. But Rose didn’t seem like she would be easy to win over. Hux walked quickly, and with his long legs, he had caught up to her easily enough. If she had noticed him, she didn’t let on, and Hux kept quiet as well, waiting for the SQUIP to tell him what to do.

_**You’re not going to say anything?** _It asked as it moved alongside him.

_ ‘What am I supposed to say?’ _

Kylo gave him a disparaging look. _**Really?**_

_ ‘This is what I brought you for!’ _

**_Okay, okay._** It said and raised its hands. _**You’re going to go with a very simple opener. Something about---**_

Hux rolled his eyes and spoke without waiting for Kylo to finish. He could come up with a simple opener, he didn’t need the SQUIP to give him a script or anything like that. Only guidance, that was all.

“Haha, funny that we’re going in the same direction.”

Rose jumped a bit; apparently, she hadn’t noticed him next to her. Kylo had suddenly moved from next to Hux to float in front of him, its arms folded and shook its head.

_**You need more help than it seems.** _

_‘What, that had been perfectly fine,’_ he insisted, though, if he had to critique himself, he supposed starting off with a forced laugh hadn’t been the best.

Rose continued to walk as she looked over at him. She was quiet for a moment before she turned to face forward again. “I guess...what do you need from Walgreens?”

Hux faltered and glanced in the direction of the SQUIP. He had no idea what kind of store Walgreens was, much less that one had been in the mall.

_**Personal items.** _

“P-Personal items,” Hux stumbled over the quick response. Rose pulled a kind of face but didn’t say anything else. 

_**...Now you ask her a question.** _

He blinked a couple of times. “What...erm, what are you getting from Walgreens?”

“I’m helping out with the play this semester, and we need some tools. Apparently, the shop class couldn’t bear to part with any that they have,” she stuck her tongue out in a mock gagging motion, “and the old ones the theatre department had are on their last legs.”

“And you’re...at the mall?”

“It’s the closest store, I certainly can’t go all the way home to grab anything. Plus, the teacher had been planning on this, so it’s in the budget. She gave me the card.”

“I see...”

_**Ask her if she’s only building sets.** _

_ ‘What?' _

_**She’s going to this store to buy tools. Ask her if she’s only building sets. For the play.** _

“Are you just helping with...building sets?”

Rose looked over at him again, a slightly amused and exhausted look crossed her face. “Yeah, I mean...in the beginning, but I ended up convinced to take on the role of assistant director as well.”

“How’d that happen?”

She shrugged, “Well this time around there weren’t that many students interested...and Finn---”

“Finn!?”

_**Smooth, a very natural response. Why did you buy me again?** _

Hux could feel his face heat up, and he figured with his pale skin that he looked particularly red. Rose eyed him at his outburst, and Hux cleared his throat, looking away from her.

“Yeah, Finn asked me and Rey to help out, and here I am.”

“Ah...I see.”

_**Ask her what he’s doing in the play,**_ Kylo said. _**Do you not hold conversations ever?**_

Hux didn’t dignify that question with an answer. “Uh...what is Finn doing in the play?”

Rose hummed. “Well, the drama teacher is really big into Shakespeare, so they’re doing the classic Romeo and Juliet. I guess people love a tragedy.”

“I suppose.” Though Hux didn’t see anything particularly special about that specific play. Shakespeare had other plays that spoke much more to Hux personally.

They were coming up upon the store quickly, and Hux could tell that this conversation would soon come to an end.

“Uh...”

Rose turned to him, “Finn landed Romeo if that’s what you’re curious about.”

_**He must be talented.** _

“Who---”

_**Don’t.** _

_ ‘Don’t what?’ _

_**Don’t ask her who’s playing Juliet.** _

_ ‘Why---’ _

_**You already think she doesn’t like you. This little conversation went...alright, sure, but she’ll still probably find it an odd question. You don’t really know this Finn guy after all. She’ll probably tell him about your little outburst at the mention of his name. You don’t him getting an odd impression of you. Like you're a creep or something.** _

Hux didn’t think Finn would find him creepy but he understood the SQUIP’s point. Hux swallowed.

During his quick mental conversation, Rose tilted her head and looked at him. “Who...?”

He shook his head a bit. “I meant...”

_**Is there anything you can do to help?** _

_ ‘What!?’ _

**_Ask her!_ **

“I meant, is there anything I can do to help?”

Her eyebrows raised in surprise.

“I mean...you said you were talked into assistant directing because a lot of students weren’t interested. So...is there a way I can help?”

Rose folded her arms. “Huh, wouldn’t expect you to be so charitable,” she said. “But, I’ll ask, let you know on Monday.” Then she turned and left him standing in the entryway.

Hux let out a deep sigh.

_**Oh, so now you drop your shoulders and relax.** _

_ ‘Shut up.’ _

_**Well, now you’ll have more opportunities to see Finn face to face and not just stare at his ass while he walks down the hall.** _

_‘I do not!’_ Hux thought as he turned and left the store.

_**You can’t lie to me, remember?** _

Hux clenched his jaw and simply reminded himself that this would all be worth it in the end.


	3. Chapter 3

Monday rolled around, and Hux found himself already dreading whatever he would end up doing for the play. Sunday had mostly been him focusing on school work and the SQUIP telling him different ways to make himself seem more approachable. He needed to smile more apparently, still work on relaxing his posture, and a million other little things. Hux went so far as to make a list of everything Kylo had mentioned.

This was going to be a lot more work than he had initially thought.

 _ **Okay,** _Kylo said as it floated in front of him, _**You’re not really getting the hang of this ‘walk without the stick up your ass thing’ so instead I’m going to relax your muscles for you.**_

_‘You’ll what?’_

_**I’m going to relax your muscles for you,**_ Kylo repeated, _**like it hadn’t said something concerning. It’ll be easier if I just monitor it for you while you focus on other things.**_

_‘You can do that?’_

It nodded. _**I can do that and a lot more. I’m wholly integrated into your mind, I know all, and I can control a lot. Since you have so many things to work on I’ll take this one thing off of your list. You’re welcome.**_

The more he learned about the SQUIP, the more Hux wished that he had done his usual amount of research into this thing. Classes went along as they usually did; the SQUIP had been quiet for most of the day, much to Hux pleasure.

The day came to an end, and Hux finished pulling things out of his locker. When he turned around, he stood face to face with both Rose and Rey.

“Um...”

“I figured you’d forget,” Rose said. 

“So we’re here to take you to play rehearsal,” Rey continued. “The teacher was really happy that someone else wanted to help out this time around. It was nice of you to offer.”

"I didn't forget." Hux gave them a tight-lipped smile and nodded. “But please, lead the way.”

The three of them made their way toward the auditorium, where everyone involved with the production was gathered. They seemed to be scattered about, with the largest group seated on the stage. From where he stood, Hux could see Finn talking to a short brunette.

_**You’re about to bump into Rey.** _

Hux stopped himself just in time. _‘Thank you.’_

_**Oh, you’re thanking me now?** _

Hux rolled his eyes. “So...what exactly did you need me to do?”

Rose pointed. “You’re going to be helping out with things like props, costumes, painting sets, building stuff if they need help with that.”

“Right now, they’re going through stuff to see what will actually be used for the play,” Rey explained. “The teacher didn’t settle on a set yet, so it’s kind of up in the air right now, so if you have any ideas, you can tell him.”

“Oh, I’m not---”

“Okay,” Rey said and clapped her hands together. “I have to go up there on stage, so I’ll talk to you guys later.” She pressed a kiss to Rose’s cheek, and then she went off. Rose left soon after without another word to him.

“What have I gotten myself into?”

_**This’ll be good practice. Stop being such a sour puss. Now go.** _

Hux set his bag down and walked over to where Rey had pointed. The group was made up of five other students. All of them were shorter than him, and four of them had brown hair, and one was a redhead like himself. The SQUIP didn’t give him any instructions, so he simply stood there, observing.

On the table next to them, there was a table with all sorts of props. Next to it stood a few racks of various types of clothing. It all looked dusty and Hux was sure he smelled a faint musk coming from them. He couldn’t understand why anyone would wear these things without putting them through a wash cycle. Or ten. One of the brunettes, the one that had his hair pulling into a small ponytail, ended up spotting him first.

“Ah,” he said and motioned Hux over.

 _ **This one is anxious and comes off a bit tense,**_ Kylo mentioned. _**Relax your face and pretend to be open.**_

Hux must have failed because the brunette suddenly looked unsure of himself.

“Uh...I’m Bodhi,” he said, “Bodhi Rook. Um, right now, we’re trying to find things that would work for an alien-slash-human love story.”

“Alien and...human?”

“The teacher wants a space setting,” someone else said.

_‘Shakespeare must bring the stupid out of people.’_

_**Focus.**_ Kylo chided. _**Act like you’re interested. You’re never going to accomplish your goal if you keep acting like everyone is an annoyance and in your way. Fake it ’til you make it Armie.**_

Hux took a deep breath, and with the help of the SQUIP, he gave Bohdi a natural smile. “Well that’s...”

_**Interesting.** _

“Interesting,” Hux continued. “Who are the...aliens?”

“Juliet and her people,” Bohdi said. “They haven’t picked what kind of aliens they’ll be but---”

“I think we should make them some kind of alien with red and black skin and horns on their head.” 

Hux looked over, and it was another brunette, he was going to have some issues telling these people apart, who was standing near one of the costume racks. He was a slim guy, his hair was short and neatly combed, and he had fair skin. He wore a simple shirt and a simple pair of trousers.

_**That one.** _

_‘That one what?’_

_**You’re inept, so I wouldn’t expect you to notice,**_ Kylo said. _**But he likes you...or at the very least he thinks you’re attractive. So that’s the one we’re going to focus on.**_

 _‘O...kay,’_ Hux thought and shrugged his shoulders. “That would be easy enough to costume, and red tends to stand out. I assume it’s the same on the stage.”

“We can’t start thinking about makeup until we figure out costumes and props, at least.”

_**G** **o over to the costume rack, we’re going to charm that one.** _

_‘How will this help?’_

_**Part of being more sociable is being ‘wanted,’ showing that you’re desirable. People tend to want things that they can’t necessarily have, and if Finn sees you with this guy, you have a better chance of wanting to get to know you better.** _

He supposed that made sense, and at the very least, it would be decent practice. He walked back over to the costume rack and wrinkled his nose at the growing smell.

“Yeah, whatever costumes we decide on will have to be thoroughly cleaned. They’ve been locked in the closet for far too long.”

“How can you stand it?”

“You get used to it after a while.”

Hux scoffed and looked at all of the clothes on the rack, he was reluctant to touch them.

_**Introduce yourself.** _

“I’m Armitage Hux.”

“Oh, I know.” When he saw the look of mild surprise on Hux’s face, he quickly waved it off. “We have a few classes together. My name’s Dopheld, Dopheld Mitaka.”

_‘What a horrible name.’_

_**You’re one to talk.** _

_‘So are you Kylo Ren.’_

A light jolt hit Hux in the back of his neck, and it made him jump. Dopheld gave him a slightly concerned look, and Hux forced out a chuckle while he rubbed the back of his neck.

“A slight chill is all.”

_**Ask him how he got involved with the play. And get over yourself and touch the clothes, you can’t just stand around doing nothing. You are here to help.** _

“Do you always help out here,” he asked. He grabbed the edge of one of the garments and pulled at it, looking it over.

Dopheld shrugged, “I bounce around from one after school activity to another. I just picked this one on a whim.”

They talked for a bit, with Hux pretending to filter through the available costumes. Kylo spoke up here and there, telling him what to say or noting how Dopheld reacted to something he did, supposedly trying to teach Hux what to look out for. Hux found it rather tedious. When Dopheld looked away from him, he would glance over at Finn. Finn would either be laughing with another student or looking serious as he read from the script he held in his hand. His gaze couldn’t linger for long, Kylo was quick to remind him. Hux partly felt like he was being pulled farther away from Finn rather than being made closer. But the SQUIP assured him that this would all be worth it in the end.

His time at the play rehearsal came to an end, and Hux made his way home.

_**Don’t look so down,**_ Kylo said as it moved alongside him. _**You’re a patient guy, right? We’re playing the long game. We’ll start with Dopheld, and then, we’ll move up.**_

Hux hummed and nodded slowly. He _was_ a patient person, and so long as Finn ended up his he would put up with almost anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> going to be taking a bit of a break from this fic. i just want to get a few more chapters ahead before i start posting again. thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back :)

The next few days were just as frustrating as Monday had been. Kylo kept control of how he walked; Hux hated it, he thought he looked like a slouching idiot but Kylo assured him that he didn’t. Hux wasn’t so sure he could trust the supercomputer. He followed its instructions and spent more time with Dopheld, which still seemed to him that he was simply being pulled further away from Finn. The SQUIP again assured him that this would ultimately help him in his ultimate goal. Hux couldn't see how.

**_You worry too much._ **

Hux narrowed his eyes if the SQUIP had a corporeal form he would have smacked it.  _ 'I do not. I usually have a meticulously thought out plan. This simply---' _

**_Ah, Finn turns you stupid._ **

Hux wanted to argue with that, but considering he had put a computer inside of his head he kept it to himself. At the very least he didn't feel like he had been acting intelligently as of late. Currently, he was seated across from Dopheld, he had asked Hux to lunch and Kylo told him to accept so he did. Hux mostly wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, simply saying what Kylo told him to. Dopheld didn’t seem to notice; Hux wondered if Kylo was also managing his facial expressions. It didn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary was going on with his face but he wouldn’t put it passed the computer.

“Thank you for coming out with me today,” Dopheld said. “And talking with me, you’re a good listener, Hux.”

Hux noted the look of admiration on Dopheld’s face and wondered what exactly Dopheld had talked about. A part of Hux felt like this whole...excursion with Dopheld would end disastrously. For Dopheld at the very least.

“It’s no problem, I’m happy to.”

Dopheld smiled at him. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

“Ah...”

**_Yes, I’d love to._ **

“Yes, a walk sounds nice.”

**_That’s not what I said._ **

_ ‘It was close enough,’  _ Hux said and tried not to roll his eyes.  _ ‘Besides, did you see the way he looked at me?’ _

**_Of course, I did. That’s part of the plan, remember?_ **

Their plates were cleaned and they both stood, ready to leave.  _ ‘So you say,’  _ he thought.  _ ‘But I still don’t understand how leading Dopheld down this path will bring me closer to Finn. It only seems like I’m moving further and further away from him. _

The SQUIP sighed and shook its head.  **_You still don’t see it? You’re unappealing as a solo item._ **

Hux couldn’t stop himself from scoffing out loud; Dopheld gave him an odd look that Hux waved off. They headed out and walked along the street.

**_It’s true and you know it. You want Finn to get to know you, you need a friend for that to happen. Clearly, he doesn’t want to do it on his own._ **

That thought depressed Hux a bit.

**_Don’t get like that. That’s why I’m here to help. Now, we’re doing good with Dopheld, he’s kind of easy to impress, and I’m sure people around are starting to take notice about you two._ **

Hux had to agree with that, during school he noticed various people turning their way. Hux was usually alone so it made sense that people would view him differently. Perhaps this whole endeavor was worth it.

“Well look who it is!”

They both turned and saw Rey, Rose, and Finn walking toward them. Hux stood up straighter and ran a hand over his hair, making sure it was still neatly combed back. He could see Kylo in front of him with its arms folded and shaking its head. 

_ ‘What?’ _

It didn’t answer.

“Where are you two headed,” Rey asked with a cheeky grin on her face.

Hux would have frowned but Kylo didn’t let him.

“Nowhere in particular,” he said and he could feel Kylo pull the corner of his mouth upwards.

“Yes, we’re just taking a walk after lunch,” Dopheld said. Hux noted that Dopheld moved closer to him when he said that.

“Well,” Rose said and took both of Rey and Finn’s arms. “I  _ guess  _ we shouldn’t keep you.”

“Ah...” Hux glanced over at Kylo Ren quickly.

**_What?_ **

_ ‘What should I do?!’ _

**_You know the plan, Armie, what do you_ ** **think** **_you should do?_ **

“Uh...” Hux cleared his throat. “What are you three up to?”

“We’re going ice skating,” Rey said.

“Rose is gonna try to teach us how,” Finn spoke up. He sounded a bit nervous and unsure about the whole thing.

“Ice skating,” Hux repeated and looked over at Dopheld. “Would...you...”

**_Oh look you’re learning._ **

Dopheld hummed. “I can’t say I know to ice skate...”

**_Don’t worry I can teach you._ **

“I can teach you,” Hux said, assuming that the SQUIP would take care of that aspect. Dopheld smiled at him.

“Awesome, maybe we can get a group discount,” Rey said.

Rose shook her head. “They only give discounts like that for field trips. But there are student discounts.”

“I didn’t take you for an ice skater,” Finn said as the group started walking again.

“Me either,” Dopheld said.

Hux shrugged, walking along between the two of them; Rose and Rey walked in front of them. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Dopheld actually took the chance to hook one of his hands around Hux’s arm. Kylo had to stop him from jerking his arm away.

“Just don’t let me embarrass myself,” Dopheld said and squeezed Hux’s bicep a bit. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Kylo laughed and Hux felt his left eye twitch, but he tried to keep his thoughts to himself. Despite their mildly antagonistic relationship Hux had to admit that Kylo had been helpful to him. He was sure that this trip to the ice skating rink would be a good step toward his ultimate goal.


	5. Chapter 5

The ice skating rink was decently packed; groups of friends, families with smaller children, and a few couples. Their own group stood in line and rented their skates. Hux tried not to wrinkle his nose.

**_ Hope you've got thick socks. _ **

Hux narrowed his eyes but put his skates on his feet all the same. Dopheld patted Hux's arm and leaned against him when he stood up.

"Don't let me fall okay," he asked with a small smile, "I don't want to embarrass myself in front of all these people."

"Neither do I."

**_ Fear, not Armie, with me, you're sure to look perfectly chill. _ **

Hux still didn't know exactly what being 'chill' meant, but he figured that it would only make sense once he's actually achieved it. He glanced over at Finn, Rey, and Rose, who were laughing and chatting about something. 

_ 'You know how to skate, right?' _

**_ How dare you.  _ ** Kylo narrowed its eyes at him.  **_ I'm a supercomputer, of course, I can ice skate! _ **

The group headed out onto the ice, and Dopheld, Rey, and Finn almost nearly fell right on their bottoms. Dopheld grabbed onto Hux's arm to steady himself while Finn and Rey grabbed onto each other, which didn't seem too steady.

"This is going to be tougher than I thought," Rose muttered as she skated passed them. She took Rey and Finn's hands and slowly started to pull them along.

Hux held in a sigh and placed a hand on Dopheld's back. "Can you stand?"

"Yes, sorry," he said, "I didn't think I would immediately slip like that..."

**_ Well, don't worry, we'll go slow. _ **

"We'll go slowly," Hux said, and then he let Kylo take over to guide them around the rink.

**_ Are you paying attention? _ **

_ 'Paying attention to what exactly?' _

Kylo was moving alongside him and Dopheld. As if to show off, it was moving backward with its arms folded.

**_ The rink.  _ **

_ 'Why, are you going to stop skating for me?' _

It shook its head and motioned to the rink.

**_ Look, this is, essentially, your first time hanging out with Finn.  _ ** It explained.  **_ And what is he doing right now? _ **

_ 'Um...I don't---' _

**_ Exactly!  _ ** Kylo cut in.  **_ Listen, something is going to happen in about...ten or so minutes. That's going to be your window, and you don't even know where Finn is. What if he left? _ **

_ 'He left!?' Hux thought as he continued guiding Dopheld around. _

**_ No, but you don't know if he could have...so pay a bit more attention. Now, Finn is sitting down for the moment.  _ ** Kylo motioned. **_ It looks like Rose can't help both Finn and Rey at the same time. Be ready to step in. _ **

Hux glanced over his shoulder for only a moment in the direction that Kylo had pointed, and he could see Finn sitting by himself.

_ 'Okay...I see him. But how can I step in? I'm with Dopheld.' _

**_ Give it time...about five more minutes. You'll know what to do. _ **

Hux wasn't sure what Kylo could be talking about; what could it know that Hux himself didn't? Yes, Kylo was a supercomputer, but it couldn't affect anything in the physical world, at least not without the use of Hux's body. Was it going to make Hux trip Dopheld? How would that help him win Finn's affections?

_ 'Kylo---' _

Before he could voice his concern about whatever the plan was, someone came out of nowhere and crashed into them. Well, they crashed mostly into Dopheld, who smashed into Hux, but it wasn't nearly as bad for him. Both the stranger and Dopheld fell onto the ice with the voices of random people calling out, moving out of the way, and winching.

"Hey, are you guys okay!?"

Rose and Rey made their way over to them while Hux knelt down to check on Dopheld. The stranger was being helped by various others.

"Can you stand up?" Hux asked.

Dopheld winched a bit but nodded. "Yeah...I think so."

Dopheld assured Rey and Rose that he would be okay and that they could finish skating. Hux helped him off of the ice, and they sat down on the bench next to Finn.

"That was a really nasty fall," Finn said, concern on his face.

"People should pay more attention to where they're going."

"You're ankle isn't twisted or anything?" Finn asked, "Or you didn't get cut by a skate or something?"

Dopheld waved a hand. "No, no...I'm fine. Mostly just shaken up, I guess. I think I need to sit down for a while."

Hux hummed, so this must be the opportunity Kylo had been talking about. How did it know that Dopheld would be in an accident?

**_ I didn't really. _ **

_ 'What?' _

**_ I didn't know he would be in an accident. _ **

Before Hux could question the computer, he noticed Dopheld checking his phone. He looked concerned.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Dopheld nodded. "Oh...yes, my mother has just been trying to get in contact with me...I guess I put my phone on silent instead of vibrate..." he trailed off and scrolled through his phone for a bit. "I...I think I need to go home. I don't want her any madder at me."

"Aw," Finn said.

Hux simply frowned; would he have to leave with Dopheld?

"You can stay if you want."

Hux blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Dopheld smiled at him. "I don't want you to stop having fun just because of me..." he said softly, "you don't have to walk me home each and every time."

"Oh well if---"

**_ But I like walking you home, Dopheld.  _ ** Kylo cut in.  **_ Don't sound so eager to ditch him. _ **

_ 'I do  _ not  _ sound eager _ ," Hux thought angrily. "...I do like walking you home, Dopheld. I wouldn't mind."

Dopheld smiled at that, and Hux was sure he was blushing. "That's very sweet of you, Armitage. But really, it's fine. I'll see you later." He paused, just for a moment before he leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to Hux's cheek. "Bye..."

Hux tried to remain calm.

**_ Just relax, it'll be fine. _ **

"That was cute," Finn said after Dopheld headed out and gave Hux a sly look.

If Hux could strangle a computer, he would have right then. 

"I've...never really been called cute before," Hux mumbled.

Finn laughed at that. Not out of mockery or anything like that. It seemed more like a laugh of surprise. Hux watched as Finn scratched the back of his head.

**_ Ask him to skate. _ **

_ 'What?' _

**_ Ask him to skate,  _ ** Kylo repeated.  **_ C'mon, you were doing so well. _ **

_ 'You were doing most of the work for me,'  _ Hux pointed out. "Well, Finn...would you like to skate with me?"

Finn looked out over the ice and then down at his skates. "I'm not too good at it though...Rose said she'd teach Rey and me but...I guess it's hard to teach two people at the same time."

Hux glanced over to where Kylo effectively stood, and the computer motioned toward Finn. "Um...well, I could teach you since she's busy."

Finn hummed like he was thinking it over and then smiled. "Okay. But you have to help me back over to the rink. I'm really wobbly on these."

"No problem...I've got you." Hux reached out a hand, and Finn took it.

Hux was surprised at how soft Finn's skin felt. Finn leaned against him as they made their way back over toward the skating rink.

_ 'I still want an explanation for what happened with and if you can predict anything else.' _

**_ I can't predict things, but I'll explain it to you after your  _ date _. _ **

Hux couldn't hide his smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they finally have contact!


	6. Chapter 6

Hux felt elated as he glided around the rink. Finn gripped Hux's arm tightly; it actually made it more difficult for them both to skate, but Hux didn't mind.

"You're doing well so far."

Finn chuckled softly and tried to stand up a bit straighter, only to wobble a bit and grip onto Hux's arm tighter. "You sure about that?"

Hux nodded. "Of course I am, here," he moved out in front of Finn, still holding onto Finn's hands and turned so that he was skating backward. "Stand up straighter and don't worry, I won't let you fall."

**_ You're doing pretty well there casanova. _ **

_ 'Stop distracting me,'  _ Hux chastized. He would have glared at the image of the supercomputer, but he didn't want to freak Finn out.

**_ I'm giving you a compliment. Say, thank you. _ **

Hux resisted the urge to roll his eyes and focused back in on Finn. Finn still had a tight grip on his hands, and he looked down at his feet.

"You have to stop bringing your knees together," he said, "you'll never get your balance if you don't stop."

"How did you get so good at skating?" Finn asked suddenly.

"Oh, uh...I went out to places like this when I was younger," he lied, and this time he did glance over at where Kylo would be. The supercomputer gave him a thumbs up. 

"That must have been fun." Finn tried to stand up straight, but his poor balance still made that problematic. "I didn't get to go out to a lot of places when I was younger."

"Oh...what did you do then?"

Finn looked at him, and Hux thought that he saw a frown pull at the other's lips. But he wasn't sure, and it was soon gone from Finn's face.

"Ah," Finn tried to shrug but nearly fell. Hux had to steady him. "Mostly stayed home...it wasn't too bad though with my like...three brothers. We always got up to something."

"You have  _ three  _ brothers?"

Hux couldn't imagine it; he couldn't imagine having one sibling, much less three of them.

"That must have been...fun..."

"Yeah..."

They fell into a weird silence, and Hux wondered if he had crossed some invisible line.

_ 'Do something!' _

**_ Ask him about the play. _ **

"Um...how's the play going?"

Kylo floated behind Finn, and Hux could see it roll its eyes.

Finn raised an eyebrow at the question. "Um...fine? I mean, I think the way the teacher is pushing this...alien thing, or whatever is ridiculous. But if you're going to make Shakespeare more interesting, I guess."

Hux groaned. "I do not understand why they couldn't just...do a normal version of the play?"

Finn hummed, "Well...there are a lot of versions of the plays. I guess it makes sense that the teacher wants one of their own."

"I still don't see much of a point."

"Are you just saying that because you're on costumes?" Finn grinned.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, a space setting would put a lot of work on you guys."

Hux scoffed; in all honesty, Dopheld and the others had been doing most of the work, but Hux didn't want to give the impression that he was lazy since he most certainly wasn't. He just had other priorities.

"Oh please, I'm not---"

"You two seem to be having fun."

Rose and Rey had skated up next to them. Rey seemed to have more of a handle on it at this point. She still held onto Rose's hand and wobbled a bit, but she seemed much more balanced than Finn was at the moment.

"Oh yeah," Finn nodded. "Hux is a good teacher."

Rey and Rose shared a look for a brief moment.

"Here, let's switch," Rey said suddenly, and before Hux could say anything, Rose and Finn had switched places.

**_ You would think Rey and Finn would switch instead of Rose and Finn. _ **

Hux ignored it and watched as Finn and Rey skated off, wobble all the way as they went. He looked down at Rose, who didn't seem all that happy to be skating with him.

"I'm surprised you're still here," she said.

Hux slowed his own movements. "Why is that?"

She shrugged and let go of his hand, moving in a circle around him. "Usually, when someone's boyfriend or girlfriend gets hurt or has to leave, they go with them."

Hux narrowed his eyes at her. He had the faint urge to correct her, Dopheld wasn't his boyfriend, but...well, he could feel Kylo staring at him, even though Hux was sure it was impossible. But he didn't want to get shocked again.

"Dopheld said he didn't need me to take him home."

"It's still weird, I think."

Hux nearly told her off, but Kylo stopped him.

**_ Okay, you should go. _ **

_ 'What, why?' _

**_ Just like I knew, Dopheld would get knocked into and go home. I now know that this is as good as we're going to get for today. So, we should go. _ **

Hux didn't understand why the supercomputer was being so insistent. He certainly didn't see any reason why he should leave right this moment. He looked over to where Finn and Rey were; they were laughing together about something, and then Hux watched as Finn slipped and fell on his butt. Rey slipped and fell no too long after.

"Why were you so eager to switch?"

"I wasn't eager."

**_ Hello, Hux, I said, let's go. _ **

"You didn't put up much protest."

Rose folded her arms. "Once Rey sets her mind to an idea, it's hard to talk her out of it."

Hux could feel his legs start to move again and frowned.  _ 'What are you doing?' _

**_ I said, let's  _ go _. I'm trying to look out for you, you know that? _ **

"The idea that she wants to fall on the ice?" Hux couldn't stop himself from glaring at Rose this time around. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Kylo moved Hux to the edge so that Hux could exit the rink.  _ 'Am I going to say goodbye?' _

**_ They know you're not the type for that kind of thing. _ **

Hux couldn't deny that, but he did want to say something to Finn at the very least. He did want him to think that he was rude. Hux thought he could  _ feel  _ Kylo sigh, oddly, but he didn't mention it. He took off his skates and went to return them. He turned to scan the rink once more, trying to find where Finn had gone off to.

He spotted him, still with Rey, on the opposite side of the rink with Rose quickly joining them. 

**_ You don't have to say goodbye, Finn isn't going to hold it against you. He's an understanding guy. _ **

_ 'What is with you,'  _ Hux thought.

Just then, he saw another group of three walk up to the trio, two girls and one...Hux narrowed his eyes.

" _ Dameron. _ "

Poe Dameron was another schoolmate that Hux didn't talk to but he a great dislike for him. Hux considered him loud and arrogant, so of course, he was pretty popular around the school. Hux watched as Dameron and his...friends, whatever, started up a conversation with Rose, Rey, and Finn. He could see that Dameron zeroed in on Finn and looked like he was trying to smoodge up to him. He couldn't tell if it was working or not. 

**_ Well, look, now your mood is ruined. _ **

_ 'Shut up.'  _ Hux turned around and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the two with poe at the end are supposed to be jannah and zorii.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up finally. I want to thank Leona2016 (on ff.net) for beta'ing this chapter and helping me out.

Hux made his way home and stomped up into his room. His irritation had grown exponentially during his trip back.

**_You're too pale to be getting this angry,_** Kylo said after Hux had gotten into his room. **_You're as red as a firetruck._**

"Shut up," Hux snapped and sat on his bed. He glared over to where the supercomputer floated in the air, cross-legged, just looking at him. Hux rolled his eyes, _'How did you know Dopheld would get hit at the rink?'_

Kylo rotated itself until it was upside down with a small smirk on its face. That look made Hux clench his jaw.

**_I didn't_** **know** ** _he would get hit,_** it said. **_But I am a supercomputer; remember, I simply calculated the numerous possibilities and guided you down the best path._**

Hux raised an eyebrow at this new bit of information.

_'Did you also calculated Dameron?'_

**_No._** Kylo sat next to Hux on the bed. **_But now I know he's a factor so I can recalculate and make adjustments._**

Hux's brow furrowed.

Kylo rolled its eyes. **_Don't worry. This is barely a bump in the road. We're still on track, and we'll end up getting what we want in the end._**

_'And what do you want?'_

**_I want what you want, obviously._ **

_'...Obviously...'_

**_Buck up Armie, go eat and get some rest. We've got work to do._ **

Hux grumbled, but he did stand up and headed downstairs. Dinner had been laid out for him by one of the servants, but there was no one at the table waiting for him. He figured that his father was either busy with work or this week's whore. Hux couldn't really find it in himself to care.

**_You live a very sad and lonely life._ **

_'Shut. Up.'_ Hux breathed out angrily and ate his dinner.

* * *

The next day at school seemed to pass by rather quickly, Hux wasn't paying much attention. Not that he needed to, Kylo seemed to be more in control than usual. Hux wasn't sure how he felt about that. Giving the computer more control over his body sounded like a bad idea. Still, at the moment, he couldn't find too many reasons to complain. If things got too complicated, he was sure that he could simply get rid of the computer.

Though...now that he thought about it he didn't know _how_ to turn the computer off. There hadn't been any instructions with his SQUIP outside of what the seller had told him. But he was sure that he could figure something out. It was only a supercomputer inside of his brain, after all.

Hux let out a deep sigh.

Before he knew it, lunch rolled around, and Kylo dragged Hux over toward Dopheld.

"You look like you're doing better," Hux said. Kylo gave him a thumbs-up, and Hux had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

Dopheld smiled at him. "Yeah, it wasn't a bad hit anyways. Were you lonely without me?"

"Terribly," Hux said under Kylo's guidance.

Dopheld smiled at that and ducked his head. Hux groaned inwardly, and Kylo shocked him.

**_Stop whining. He can't hear you, but_ ** **I** **_can._ **

"Oh, hey!"

The pair sitting at the table could see Rey waving at them from across the cafeteria, Finn followed her example. Rose didn't wave, she simply followed behind Rey and Finn. The trio walked over to them and sat around the table.

"You vanished on us yesterday," Rey said and pointed in Hux's direction. "What happened?"

"Oh...uh..."

"Yeah," Finn said. "I wondered where my skating teacher ran off to."

Hux let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh...I suddenly remembered that I had...important personal business that I had been late for. With my father."

"Pretty rude to not to say so much as 'goodbye' though," Rose said flatly.

Hux narrowed his eyes at her. Rose ignored him.

**_What did you do to her?_ **

_'Nothing as far as I know.'_

"Plus," Rey jumped back in, "if you had stayed, you could have seen Finn and Poe falling all over each other."

"Poe can't skate?" Dopheld asked.

"Can barely stand up." Finn chuckled softly and rested his chin in his hand. He smiled over at Hux. "You could have helped us both out."

"Oh, I don't know how helpful I'd be to two people."

"You were very good on the ice," Dopheld said. "I'm sure you could manage if needed."

_'Why aren't you doing anything?'_

**_You're doing so well!_ **

Hux wondered if he could figure out a way to strangle a computer. The conversation shifted to something more mundane, and Hux checked out for a moment. He supposed this was a good development. He was closer to Finn than he had been before, but he struggled to see how all of this would lead him to actually accomplishing his goal. He knew that he just had to trust in his computer partner.

"Rey, Finn, I'm glad I caught you two!"

Hux was pulled from his thoughts when...someone-

**_That's Bohdi._ **

Bohdi looked a bit frazzled like he had been running around the whole school.

"What's up?"

"The teacher wanted us to schedule times where we can take your measurement for your costumes. I've been running all over the place trying to find people during my break."

Kylo made Hux raise his hand.

_'Excuse me?'_

**_Offer to help._ **

Hux pressed his lips together, suppressing a frown. "Do...do you need help with that?"

Bohdi's eyes lit up. "I would love help."

"Wait, we've settled on a set and stuff," Rey asked.

Bohdi rubbed his forehead. "No, No, we haven't. But if I can get this part done, it'll make the costume part much, _much_ simpler." He turned back toward Hux. "And, if you can help that would be great."

He sat down the notebook he had been carrying. "I've gotten some measurements, but most people just gave me a time when they'd be free, so I can measure them." Bohdi handed Finn a pen. "You can Rey can just write down a time you'll be free, and you'll be able to find Hux or me in art room C-5."

"This whole production really seems like a mess," Hux blurted his thought out loud.

Dopheld laughed a bit and bumped his shoulder against Hux. "But that makes it more fun."

Hux would have argued, but Kylo gave him a look that told him he shouldn't. Rey and Finn wrote in Bohdi's little book, and he thanked them. Bohdi said that he would give Hux more details after school, and then he was off again.

Rose sighed, "I wish we could get a setting already so we can actually paint backgrounds and everything."

"Should have just done the play straight," Hux countered sourly.

"Looks like we can finally agree on something."


	8. Chapter 8

Hux met up with Bohdi once school ended. He had barely sat down when Bohdi handed him a copy of the schedule he had made.

“There are a lot of people on this list,” Hux grumbled.

“You think so?” Bohdi asked absentmindedly while he dug around inside his backpack. A smile formed on his lips as he pulled out a bright blue highlighter. “Here, just circle which times you'll be available for and I'll handle the other ones.”

“ _All_ of the other ones?”

Bohdi nodded; “Yeah...I can just skip one of my classes if I need to.”

“Uh huh...” Hux mused as he looked over the paper in his hand.

Bohdi leaned over Hux's shoulder and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Actually...” he reclaimed the highlighter and circled some of the times himself. “It would be _really_ helpful if you could take care of these time slots.”

Hux clenched his jaw. _'If you were just going to pick times yourself, why pretend I had a choice!'_

**_Lucky for you Finn's time is in the blue circle._ ** Kylo pointed out. **_Just agree so we can move on._ **

Hux exhaled slowly through his nose and nodded. “Alright, sounds good.”

Bohdi beamed and thanked him one more time before he ran off, sending him a _far_ too friendly wave. Hux glared at his retreating back, cramming the schedule in his shoulder bag. It ended up crinkled in one of the side pockets.

**_Would you perk up just a little? You should be feeling happy._ **

Hux sighed as he walked down the street. _'I am happy...'_

Before either of them could say anything more Hux was grabbed from behind. Two slim arms had wrapped around his waist and hugged him closed, nearly tripping Hux mid-step. Hux's instinctive urge to rip himself free was overruled by the computer in his head so he didn't so much as flail about. Swallowing down his ire which had no outlet thanks to Kylo, Hux forced himself to calm down enough and turned his head so he could identify his assailant.

It was Dopheld.

“Oh,” Hux breathed out, “it's just you.”

“Did I startle you?”

Hux shook his head. “No...not really.”

“Well, I'm glad I caught you,” Dopheld chuckled and released him. “Literally.”

Hux ignored the pitiful attempt at word play and instead uttered a simple, “Oh?”

“Mhm.” Dopheld smiled up at him. “I wanted to know if you were free this weekend.”

“Uh...” Hux shrugged. “Honestly, I'm not sure. But I will notify you once I find out.”

“Oh...okay.” The edges of Dopheld's mouth dropped. “Okay, well...just let me know.”

“Of course.”

“Right...So...I uh...I'll text you later,” Dopheld said and waved a half hearted “goodbye'.

Hux rubbed his forehead once Dopheld was out of sight.

**_You know you have to be free this weekend, right?_ **

_'Really?'_

**_Of course, it's a part of the plan to get you closer to Finn._ **

Hux couldn't agree with the computer on that. _'I still fail to understand how continuing along with Dopheld will help me achieve that.'_

**_You want Finn to like you--_ **

_'Which requires me to date Dopheld? I doubt Finn would like me very much if I was a heartbreaker.'_

**_It won't matter._ **

_'Really?'_

**_Of course not._ **

Hux arched a skeptical brow.

Kylo rolled its eyes as if annoyed by Hux's lack of understanding. **_People try things out and it falls through. Perfectly natural. It'll be sad for Dopheld for a little while but it won't affect Finn's opinion of you much._ **

_'Why not?'_

Kylo nearly rolled its eyes again but a narrow glare from Hux stalled it.

**_Because it shows that you're worth dating; that you have a level of maturity to not only date someone but to dump them when you realize that there's someone else you'd rather be with._ **

Hux thought over the computer's explanation, an image of him and Finn together forming in his mind, and gave a simple nod. _'That's good.'_

**_It'll also give us time to deal with that temper of yours._ **

_'Excuse me?'_ Hux frowned.

**_Not that getting that under control will help you with Rose, though._ **

Hux's frown deepened, annoyance growing inside of him.

**_I've gone over multiple different scenarios but she's not going to like you. Tolerate you is about as good as you'll get. Rey will be a bit easier._ **

Hux wrinkled his nose at the new bit of information. He shouldn't be surprised, Rose never hid the fact that she didn't like him; he just hoped that getting her to tolerate him wouldn't be too much work. He wondered how important Finn found that particular relationship.

**_Breaking them up won't work. And it'll definitely end with Finn disliking you._ **

_'Fine, fine.'_ Hux threw his hands up in a grumpy surrender. The old lady who was passing him stopped and looked back over her shoulder at him.

**_Temper, temper._ **

Hux huffed, increased his pace, and made it home quickly. His routine carried him through the evening and it was his usual pattern of homework, an uncomfortable dinner with his father, a shower, and then bed. Kylo didn't say too much to him during this time. Not that he needed to; it was as inconvenient as it was embarrassing, Kylo having full access to his thoughts. Especially when his thoughts that night kept drifting back to the prospect of taking Finn's measurements tomorrow.

* * *

Hux drummed his fingers impatiently against the table top, eyes fixed on the door leading to the hall. No one came through. _He_ didn't come through. It felt as if he had been waiting for Finn to show up all morning. He had measured a couple of other students, not paying them much attention. Sparing a quick glance at his watch, made his stomach lurch unpleasantly. The time Finn had written down had just passed and Hux wondered if he had decided not to show up. That would make this whole thing a waste of time.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Kylo sitting on the table staring toward the door just as he had been doing. Kylo sat completely, unnaturally still. His current posture perhaps the most indicative of the fact that he really wasn't human.

**_This, really? Not the fact that you're the only one who can see me?_ **

Hux scoffed. _'It's easy to forget when we talk semi-regularly.'_

Kylo observed him for a moment. **_Point taken._ **

“Hey!”

Hux swiveled his head back toward the door. Dopheld's head appeared there, leaning partly against the frame, a wide smile on his face. Hux gave him a small smile in return.

“Are you done,” Dopheld asked and there was something both hopeful and mischievous in his voice.

Hux picked up the sheets of paper in front of him and pointedly waved them around.

Dopheld's bright eyes dimmed but he approached, all the same, his expression morphing into something a bit more sympathetic. “Not yet, huh?”

“I'm really just waiting for Finn to show up,” Hux explained gruffly. There were others on his list that hadn't shown up but he couldn't be bothered to care about those. Hux saw Dopheld scan the list and spot those blank boxes too.

Perhaps he had said too much.

“Oh...” Dopheld all but mumbled, then fell quiet for a moment. “You forgot to tell me about this weekend.”

“I forgot?”

Dopheld pulled up an empty chair next to Hux and sat down, rather obviously not looking at him. “Yeah. It's okay though. I figured you were busy.”

“Ah...well--”

“Sorry I'm late, I had to help Rose with something.”

Hux's head snapped back toward the door where Finn now stood.

“Hope I didn't keep you waiting long.”

Hux fervently shook his head. “No, not at all.” Then he heard himself add, way too playfully, “Dop was here to keep me company.”

Hm, that was new. Kylo had never physically made him say anything before.

“Well, that's...that's good,” Finn flashed him a rather strained grin. He looked between them. “Well, let's get going so you two can get back to...whatever it was you were doing.”

Hux glanced to where he had last seen Kylo for instructions, or even a thumbs up, to show him he was making progress, but there was nothing but empty air.

“So...do I need to take my shirt off of anything?”

Hux's attention was abruptly pulled back toward Finn. “What?”

**_That's kind of interesting._ **

_'Where were you?'_

**_Inside your brain. Where I always am._ **

“You don't need to do that,” Dopheld answered on his behalf with a distinct flatness in his voice.

“Yes.”

Hux swallowed thickly as he felt both Finn and Dopheld's eyes on him. He averted his gaze quickly in a failed attempt to not blatantly check Finn out. Hux looked past Finn to the door behind him, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. At some point Kylo reappeared, standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame much like Dopheld had earlier. He cleared his throat, looking back at Finn who had something resembling bemusement on his face.

“Y-Yes,” he repeated, heat slowly rising to his face and internally cursing the super-computer across from him. “Dopheld is right...you can keep your clothes on.”

**_Nice save._ **Kylo said and had the nerve to give Hux golf claps.

_'Aren't you supposed to be helping me!? I'm making a fool of myself!'_

**_You did just fine all by yourself._ **

_'You are not worth the money I spent on you!'_

**_And there's that temper again._ **

“Okay, sure,” Finn nodded good-humoredly.

Dopheld let out a small triumphant hum next to him, but there was a frown still pulling at the corners of his mouth. Finn raised his arms and gave Hux something of a teasing smile.

“I'm all yours.”

Hux sprang up from his seat, measuring tape in hand, nervousness building in his stomach after his near fiasco moments ago. He walked over to Finn and measured the length of his arms. Nice and easy; not too much touching involved.

He could do this. He could do this and not get distracted by the size of Finn's waist or--

**_You're lingering too long._ **

Hux blinked a couple of times. He had been standing there in front of Finn with the measuring tape still held up next to Finn's left arm. Finn was looking up at him, slightly confused and perhaps a bit amused. Hux cleared his throat and took a step back.

_'Right. Thank you.'_

Hux wrote down the numbers and took another calming breath.

“Do you need help,” Dopheld asked.

It took all he had to not glare at Dopheld in that very moment. Though he was sure that Kylo would have stopped him. “No...thank you. I have it under control.”

**_I'm inclined to agree._ ** Hux could practically hear the smug smile on the super computer's face. **_You have a decent handle on this._ **

Hux gently bit the inside of his cheek as he made a show of checking over the numbers he had written. A small grin pulling at his lips. _'Shut up.'_


End file.
